Quickie questions...

[JDSkydiver]

RE: LCD Monitors...

1 - Can an LCD monitor be rotated while PC/MAME is running without the CRT effect of distortion?

2 - Is using a cheap LCD at 800x600 ok for MAME.  I'm focusing on old-school games (pre-1990).


RE: Laptops

3 - Does MAME work well run off a laptop?  I'm planning a SMALL Bartop-like unit to play some older classics (pre-1990) that needs to be transportable.  Will a laptop with an external LCD cause any problems?

Thanks for any input!

JDSkydiver

[StephenH]

1 - Can an LCD monitor be rotated while PC/MAME is running without the CRT effect of distortion?

Yes, an LCD can be rotated.  However, it is easiest to do this if you get a rotateable model LCD.

2 - Is using a cheap LCD at 800x600 ok for MAME.  I'm focusing on old-school games (pre-1990)?

Yes, Using a Cheap LCD is OK.  It will not look as good as a CRT.  When using an LCD, you will want to run at your LCDs native resolution, and enable stretch in MAME.  LCDs have fixed resolution that is often much higher than the games in MAME.

3) 3 - Does MAME work well run off a laptop?  I'm planning a SMALL Bartop-like unit to play some older classics (pre-1990) that needs to be transportable.  Will a laptop with an external LCD cause any problems?

Yes, I have run MAME on a laptop before.  It runs OK.  On a laptop though, it may run your batteries down quickly as it heavily utilizes the CPU. 

[JDSkydiver]

StephenH:

Thanks for the help! 

Were's what i'm planning...  A small bartiop that is portable (can be stored in the closet) but must be plugged into the wall to be used, so batterylife is not important to me. 

The bartop will have swapable CPs, and since it's a bartop, the complete panels will easily be swapped, and not have to be modular.  Simple slide-in & play...

The screen will be an old LCD that will be fixed to a SQUARE sheet of smoked "monitor glass" that (since it's square) can be mounted on pull-springs and rotated.  You pull the glass towards you (which includes teh LCD), rotate 90-degrees, and the springs pull it back in place.

The goal is a SWAPABLE cabinet with a ROTATABLE screen, that can be put in the closet that evene the kids can fully operate, including swaping and rotating...

More updates to come...

JDSkydiver